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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. press — to push
  3. current — electric
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — thin
  6. pit — a hole
  7. current — happening now
  8. prune — to trim
  9. chair — a leader
  10. press — newspapers
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. pit — in a race
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — to crush
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. squash — the sport
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. prune — to trim
  23. press — a publisher
  24. prune — the fruit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com